About Us

Local. Independent. Yours.

In the Cove is independent local news for Lane Cove and the Lower North Shore, written by locals for locals. We cover the stuff that actually affects your week: the development application next door, the road that’s closed again, the school fete, the new cafe and the neighbour doing something remarkable.

We don’t do clickbait and we don’t do outrage for the sake of it. We check things before we publish them, we explain how decisions get made and we try to make you laugh occasionally along the way. Mostly, we want to be useful.

Everything we publish is free to read with no paywall. That only works because readers like you chip in. Support In the Cove

Our story

In the Cove was founded by local Jacky Barker in 2012 with a simple idea: Lane Cove deserved its own news source, run by people who live here. What started as a passion project grew into the place thousands of locals check first when something happens in the neighbourhood.

In March 2026, after 14 years at the helm, Jacky retired and Renee Maxwell bought In the Cove. Renee wasn’t new to it. She’d already spent more than eight years working on the publication, so the community you know is in familiar hands. Jacky hasn’t gone far either and still writes the occasional article for us.

Today we cover Lane Cove and the wider Lower North Shore, with a small paid team, a handful of dedicated volunteers and a community that sends us more tips than we can keep up with (please don’t stop).

What we do

  • Local news: council, planning and development, traffic, schools, sport and the stories behind them
  • What’s On: events, school holiday guides and the weekend sorted
  • Week in Review: everything that happened locally this week, in one place
  • Local guides and directory: businesses, parks, clubs, charities and community groups
  • Community spaces: we run Lane Cove Chat by ITC and Kids in the Cove, with more than 18,000 members between them

You’ll find us on Facebook (30k+ followers), Instagram (17k+), WhatsApp, YouTube and TikTok. Our free newsletter lands every Wednesday at 7.30pm and nearly 6k locals already read it. Sign up here

Who’s behind it

In the Cove is independently owned by Renee Maxwell, a Lane Cove local who bought the business in 2026 after more than eight years working on it. She leads a small team of reporters, writers and volunteers, all with deep roots in the area. Meet the team

Independent, and how we pay the bills

In the Cove is locally owned and independent. We’re not part of a big media group, we’re not funded by any political party and no advertiser gets a say in what we report. Sponsored content is always clearly labelled.

We’re members of the Australian Press Council and the Local Independent News Association (LINA), and we’re bound by the Press Council’s Standards of Practice. Our editorial decisions are guided by local relevance, public interest and community value. If we get something wrong, we fix it. If you have a complaint we can’t resolve, you can contact the Press Council at presscouncil.org.au or on 1800 025 712.

A lot of people assume we’re a not-for-profit. We’re not, but we’re definitely pros at stretching a dollar. We employ a small team and the website, apps and multimedia cost real money to run. Here’s where our funding comes from:

  • Reader support through Press Patron, once-off or monthly, any amount
  • Shout Us a Coffee (it pays wages, not lattes)
  • Local advertising, kept limited so news always comes first
  • Occasional grants and support from LINA
  • Our much-loved tea towels

Every extra dollar goes back into more reporting, better equipment and more hours for our team.

Support local news

If you read us, share us or argue about us in Lane Cove Chat, you’re already part of In the Cove. If you’d like to help keep it going:

Get in touch

News tip, event, advertising or just a question? Our Contact Us page shows the fastest way to reach the right person. Want to work with us? See Advertise with In the Cove.